Allergic To Fire
by nerenight
Summary: (Og published on AO3 under Nerenight) Stressed English witch moves to a different country, can't afford a thing because rent is too high, works part time in a flower shop, and attends an Academy no one in the town really knows about. Likely cuz it's full of supernatural beings who are trying desperately not to attract the attention of humans... maybe not that desparately. SLOWBURN


It was as if this town produced fog made especially for early Monday mornings. It had only been a few weeks since Peter and I fully moved into the flat, or, apartment as I would have to get used to calling them, and every Monday began with little clouds floating down the streets like spirits meandering to their little day jobs before humanity rose from their beds. It would be gone by eight o'clock, and very rarely would happen again for the rest of the week. I watched it from the small balcony that overlooked the street whenever I woke up early enough, and brewed a fresh cuppa to pass the time.

The apartment space was small, even with small loans from the school I would be attending and an allowance made once in a blue moon from my coven, the rent was obnoxious. So within a week of living in this new town, I found a quaint, little flower shop whose aging owner seemed so delighted to have help taking care of everything. I had to hold my breath at the amount of wilting petals I saw in every pot on the shelves and gently pulled my wand out charm the little things back to life. She graciously understood my fluid schedule as I would start school, as well as caring for my younger brother. Honestly if she let me work five hours a week, I would still take it.

Walking back inside the room, I looked over to the bed that I had floated above the rest of the room to that there could be enough space to fit a small desk and sofa. There was a ladder resting by the head of it, not nailed or anything, just… resting, that I used to get up and down, or to trap Peter up there when we argue.

Peter is not a witch like the rest of my family back in England. Nor is he human. My mother blames herself, but at some point in his infancy, the actual Peter was taken by the fairies, and well, they left a changeling behind. His ears are a bit more pointed and arched, and his skin color has a bluer undertone rather than pink or yellow like most people. It was nothing a little magic couldn't hide, but the temperament and lack of common human emotions was untouchable. The coven we belong to suspended him for indecent use of magic, thus, he was sent with me away. Being fifteen years older, becoming solo older brother is a bit tedious; especially with such a large family who could have taken care of him.

The small lump in the bed turned in his sleep. I wandered over to the desk and set my tea down on the coaster. The address to the school was scribbled down on a scrap piece of paper next to my ID to get a discount for the bus that dropped off nearby. It was not a normal school, nor a university, technically. Every student was a different race - as in chimera, or supernatural beings - some witches did call them monsters, but that term has been exhausted decades ago. It's a stretch being a witch, considering we are human in retrospect, but the school's board had insisted that there were others as well, and the opportunity opened itself for me. It would suffice for making up educational classes I've missed in my life, as well as accume new ones - and as my brother wrote me, would "expand my social life into something more than a hermit." His letter was taped on the mirror in front me. I still hadn't changed into actual clothes, nor brushed my hair. I needed to make breakfast for Peter and pack him a lunch.

Shuffling a few feet over to the kitchen, I scrambled together the last few eggs I had in the fridge and tossed some ham into the pan. It may have burned. It looked like it did; I wasn't the best cook - but Peter eats it. Most of the time. I grabbed my wand and pointed it at the bed, and with a simple " _ekawa_ ," I heard the familiar sound of Peter groaning his unhappiness to the world.

"Come on, I made breakfast," I said, putting the plate on the counter for him. "I need you to get ready to go to Abby's house, all right? She's going to play with you while I'm at school."

Most often I didn't get a reply. Peter would drudge down the ladder and grab the plate and sit on the couch to watch videos on my laptop. The tips of his ears just poked out of the bed-head he had going on. I took the time to throw on my cleanest trousers and a button-down that perhaps could have been ironed a bit more, but the steam of the shower did well enough of a job. As I cuffed the sleeves, I picked out Peter's clothes for him and left them on the pillow of the sofa. Sometimes he would put them on - other times he'd wait for me. When he was dressed, I combed his hair and brought him his shoes. He worked on the laces while I put away my laptop and slid it into my bag, along with a few notebooks. I slid my pencil behind my ear and tossed my reading glasses into a pocket.

"You ready Peter?" I asked, grabbing his small lunchbox and fished through the cabinet to find a banana and some peanut butter. I made a mental note to go grocery shopping when I had the chance.

Peter had knotted the laces, but the shoes were on, and I told him he did a good job anyway. Placing my wand into the inner pocket of my windbreaker, I opened the door and ushered Peter into the hallway so I could lock it. We shared a hallway with three other apartments. Ours was right across from the stairwell, conveniently, but every day, the man from the apartment next to ours, would be in the hallway, sitting in a metal chair by the window - just staring at us. I would jump in my skin whenever I turned around and made eye-contact. He didn't move towards us, but he just stared, and stared, and stared.

"Take my hand," I told Peter. "Let's get going."

We walked down two flights of stairs and out of the building, the door locking behind us. The sun was rising, and the fog was clearing just as people began to head to work and start their day. Abby, a local witch who I found through the blessings of the internet, lived just a fifteen minute walk away in the close suburb of the town. She had watched Peter on many occasions as I was job searching and she's such a kind woman. She was a few years older than me, in her upper twenties, and had her own business that she worked in at home. Peter didn't mind going to her house - she certainly had more time to play with him than I would now.

Abby was waiting by the door in sweatpants and a t-shirt and I quite envied that. She waved, I waved back as I opened her very American, white picket fence.

"Hello, Peter, how are you?" she asked, crouching down to greet him. He gave a small shrug and she smiled. "We're going to have a good time today, I promise. You can help me craft some things."

"Thank you again," I said, letting her take Peter's hand. "I owe you so much already - if there's anything I can do."  
She stood back up and waved her hand. "Nonsense. Witch to witch, I don't mind at all. He's another hand to help me with work for a bit, and he's very good at arts and crafts. Maybe when he's older I'll hire him."

I handed her the lunchbox.

"I think he would like that," I replied. "Really though, with school now, and you watching him more, I need to pay you something. I won't accept getting away with nothing - childcare is… a lot of work."

Abby leaned against her doorframe and looked at the trees above her house. "Okay, okay, fine. I'll send you a bill at the end of the week, but I insist on giving you a discount. We'll just exchange a few potions here and there to make up for it. Savvy?"

"Deal."

I said my goodbyes to Peter as he ran inside her house and shut the fence behind me as I walked back to the town to catch the bus that left on the corner.

It was a regular city bus; happily it took my money and I sat down in a seat near the middle door. The twenty-five minute ride led around the city until there was nothing outside the windows except forests and meadows on the ten mile stretch between cities. We slowed next to a dirt path which lay next to a small bench and a lamp. _Ardeat Academy_ the bus sign blinked. I slid out the door and stared down the path that ducked over a small hill. The air smelled different here - odd. As if the scent of sulfur was just fading and someone ran around the field spraying air freshener.

Over the hill, the school sat among small woods and a large lake on the far corner. The entire campus was quite large; paths curled around and about like it were a park. My wand warmed the inside of the windbreaker so much, I'm sure my heart was about to burst from excitement. My feet could not move fast enough down the dirt as it shifted to stone and the grass was short and still green despite the upcoming autumn season. My shoulder throbbed from pulling down on my bag so much. There was a quaint map of the campus in front of the main entrance; I believed I was looking for the admissions office…

"Excuse me, but are you Arthur Kirkland?"

Perking up, I looked over my shoulder to see a respectably short man, perhaps my age, but I couldn't quite tell. He held a clipboard in one hand and a cup in the other - steam rising from the hole in the lid.

I turned around and nodded. "Ah, yes that's me."

He smiled and gently brushed the short, black fringe from his eyes with a pinkie and looked down at his clipboard. "I was expecting you, Mr. Kirkland; you have incredible timing." He leaned forward slightly and bowed his head. "My name is Honda Kiku," he said, coming back up. "I am the student body president here at the academy. The headmaster asked me to show you around as well as give you all your essential papers."

"Oh! That's very kind of you, Honda, thank you," I replied, bowing slightly back.

The corner of his mouth tugged a little as he shuffled through some papers on the board. "You may call me Kiku - everyone here does."

Kiku handed me my class schedule and began talking about the history of the school - which opened for a specific type of chimera, but became more inclusive after World War II for international students and species. We walked up the staircase to the entrance, opening the heavy door to a grandiose parlor. The amount of protection that went into guarding the campus from regular humans was immense, and swallowed a large portion of everyone's tuition. Classes ran from the morning long into the night to accommodate the lifestyles of both diurnal and nocturnal students. I was shown the cafes inside the school to get food, and the ridiculous amount of hallways.

"Something very important to note is that the students and teachers are asked to keep their human image retained while on school grounds. I know it isn't something you need to worry about much since your species is human-based," Kiku said hesitantly, trying his best not to sound offensive.

"So it's 'don't ask, don't tell' type of policy?" I asked, a bit judgemental.

He puffed out his cheeks knowingly. "Yes, ah, as bad as it sounds, the headmaster put it into place to protect students from old familial relationships and rivalries; also in case of any human entry into the school. However," he lowered his voice, "a lot of students protest that rule regardless and show some part of their true forms."

He let out the last puff of air he had towards his hair, dull red markings lining his forehead as the strands of dark hair moved up then just as quickly fell back. I grinned, intrigued.

"If a student shares with you their kind, simply be respectful. Some would rather not have rumors go about," Kiku finished, walking me to a classroom. "Your schedule is based off of the school's curriculum as well as considering your talents and future needs."

"So magic based," I stated, looking up from the paper to the classroom. I smiled, "Thank you again for showing me around, Kiku. I appreciate it. Perhaps we can meet up and grab some afternoon tea later today?"

"I would be happy to, Mr. Kirkland," he said, bowing.

"Arthur. Please."

"Okay, Arthur then." He smiled back. "We both have free time around 1:15 today. I'll come find you."

The first class I sat through was Transcendency, which was something far beyond my knowledge of magic. I took vigorous notes while the professor went off on a speech about energy. The amount of students in the class reassured my small fear that I would be one of the few magic users; trying to guess who was a witch and who wasn't however was frustrating beyond belief. I glanced down at the room number to my next class and wandered down the hallway trying to find it as the plaques didn't seem to be in any reasonable order. There was quite the crowd of students.

I just couldn't bring myself to ask any of them.

I wouldn't call myself a shy person - no. My brothers would say I ranted too often back at home, but since I moved, it's just been Peter and I, and well, it gets a little lonely with no friends. Getting back into the swing of politely communicating with peers takes time.

A firm push from behind sent me falling forward into another young man who I almost brought down with me.

"Hey, are you alright, mister?" The accent was a surprise.

I stood back up, apologizing profusely to the student, who seemed very nonchalant about the whole affair.

"Oh mio, don't worry about it!" he said, waving his hands. "Happy to help! You look new - is this your first day?"

"Is it that obvious?" I asked, tucking my hair behind my ear.

He mirrored my action and tugged on a strand of the dark auburn hair that fell rather smoothly. It wasn't the answer I expected, but perhaps I did look a bit nervous meandering hallways.

"Benvenuto, I'm Feliciano, but my friends call me Feli. I can help you find your next class if you're lost. What's the number?"

"Three-hundred and ninety-four," I replied, fumbling for my schedule to confirm. "I'm Arthur, by the way. Pleasure."

Feliciano looked over my shoulder at the paper and nodded; he also scooted us closer to the wall to avoid passing traffic. He told me the room I was looking for was on the floor above, right next to the staircase on the left side facing the lake, so it would be hard to miss.

"Gehen!" A booming voice echoed down the hallway. I turned my head towards the direction of the voice while students hurried out of the hall and into classrooms. "No more loitering, get to class!"

He didn't look like a professor… did this school have hall monitors?

Feli didn't seem too afraid nor worried about getting into trouble for being in the hallway. In fact, his already gleeful smile practically turned ecstatic.

"Ludwig! Ciao!" he cried, skipping towards him, practically gliding into a hug. "I haven't seen you since this morning!"

"It's been ninety minutes," Ludwig replied, tentatively placing his arms around the Italian.

His demeanor calmed significantly compared to the tall, scary yelling German he was seconds prior. Compared to Feliciano - who was dressed in a loosely buttoned down shirt and a long cardigan - Ludwig was a tie away from the full business look. I approached from the side after being graciously ditched by a window, and tapped Feliciano on the back.

"Thank you," I said, "for showing me where the class is."

Ludwig looked down at me. "Kirkland, was it? I've been told about you."

I blinked. "Are you… a professor here? You don't look much older than I."

"I'm not, no. One could say I have a lot of influence, however," he replied, giving somewhat of a smile that didn't quite make it.

Feliciano slid down the German's chest and turned around to face me. He rolled his eyes playfully and slapped Ludwig's arm. Leaning over, he gave me the very classically European cheek kisses - of which I haven't given nor received in years - and said a "see you later" rather than goodbye. Did that count as friend making?

The next class I had wasn't as interesting as Transcendency. In fact it was a lot of mathematics; I wasn't prepared with a calculator, so long hand work took up a few pages of notebook paper. I really needed to go shopping. I left the class and attempted to find the cafe that sold tea which Kiku told me about - but I hardly made it to the stairwell before the man turned the corner and waved.

"You look tired," he said, looking me up and down. "Math class?"

"Would it have killed the man to open the shades? The dark makes me want to nap for years upon end." I pinched the bridge of my nose and rubbed my temple. "Tea would be very nice right about now."

Kiku smiled nodded. "Let's go get that then. You have a quick meeting with the headmaster in twenty minutes, then you're practically done for the day!"

We walked down two flights of stairs to the ground floor and ended up outside for ten seconds as we crossed a small garden. A couple sat on the marble bench snogging. No shame, they were living in it.

The tea was brewed the right way, thankfully. I've been forced to buy the sad bags of tea lately since the stores near my apartment were always selling them cheaper. Kiku ordered sencha - it smelled delicious. We took our time walking up the main hallway close by. Some students waved at Kiku as we passed them; I was a bit in awe at how friendly many of them were. Not that I was expecting rude peers, but the way movies would portray schools didn't help my assumptions.

"What does your bracelet say?" I asked while we approached the large doors decorated with gold, astrological patterns.

Kiku looked down at the charms dangling from his bracelet. "Yokai," he replied, looking at them thoughtfully. "And the other is Henge."

"What does that mean?"

"It means perhaps you should learn some Japanese," he said slyly, knocking on the door. I saw the smirk he gave, and the little rise of the shoulders as if he was suppressing a laugh.

"Perhaps I should."

The door opened to a well kept and orderly office, completed with walls lined of with books and trinkets and maps with small pins placed around the continents. The desk was large and supported even more books and papers alongside a sleek, silvery computer; the window behind it took up the whole of the wall, and the curtains were kept aside by moon-shaped buckles. The headmaster sat in the chair, talking quietly on a phone. He looked up from the spot he was staring at and nodded at us acknowledgingly. Kiku folded his hands behind his back, ready to be patient if needed. I took the seconds to look further at the pins on the maps. Quite a few were in Europe, if not the majority, there were different colored pins in at least every country; some in Asia and even fewer in the Americas - ironically. I glanced at Kiku, trying to get his attention to perhaps get some answers about the reasoning behind it.

The phone killed back to its receiver and the man in the chair stood up. Dear Lord, he was tall… and oddly familiar looking. His blond hair was long, strands braided, and mostly kept up, out of his face. His eyes were hooded, dark, and green; it took a tick just staring at his face that I realized he almost looked exactly like Ludwig.

"Headmaster Beilschmidt, this is Arthur Kirkland, the new addition to our academy," Kiku introduced as the headmaster walked around the desk to stand in front of me.

"Yes, of course, we exchanged a few emails regarding your admission to the school," he said in a deep voice that frankly I wasn't prepared for. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kirkland. I hear your coven is well-known in Great Britain."

"Oh, yes, we're… rather far reaching, but our numbers have shrunk over the ages, as you could imagine…" I said, fiddling with my fingers as I tried to keep eye-contact.

"Mmm… hunters are unfortunately a continuous species, it seems. Here at this school, the faculty are under strict obligation to assure your safety on these grounds, and our public safety is always a phone call away if for any reason you feel unsafe at your home. I understand you live in Pascoag. You take the bus, correct?"  
"Yes, sir."

"Very good. Let us know if their charge goes up later this season and we will gladly accommodate the cost."

"Thank you kindly, sir," I said.

He walked back to his desk and sat on the edge, picking through the colors of pins in the container. He looked up at the map as he pulled a green pin out. "England?"

I blinked. "Y-yes."

"Thought so."

The headmaster pushed it into the map right over where Windsor would be. My question was answered without another word. Kiku sipped his tea nonchalantly and looked at me. We were both dismissed after Mr. Beilschmidt shook my hand with such strength, I almost winced.

"You were grabbing your jacket throughout that meeting, you know," Kiku commented, shutting the door behind us to leave the headmaster to himself. I looked down to my left hand, which clutched at the thin fabric, coiling around the object resting in the inner pocket.

I unzipped the windbreaker and took out my wand. I rolled it in my palm to check for any damage I may have unconsciously done to it. The jewels adorning the handle shimmered in the soft light of the hallway; the quartz on the top - attached to the wand with a copper wire that coiled down the length like a vine. It was beautiful. It was ancient. It was priceless. Kiku tilted his head to look at it without saying another word. The copper was warm after spending the day trapped between my body heat and the jacket, but the quartz was cool to the touch.

"It's been awhile since I've used this defensively, but goodness," I said, glancing back up to Kiku with a smile, "that man is extraordinarily intimidating."

My next class was cut short due to a personal matter for the professor and we were sent off with the syllabus. As I walked out of the academy, I pulled my phone out of my pocket for the first time to see if I had missed any calls or texts from Abby; I worried for Peter when I wasn't with him - if he would get in trouble one way or another. He still was regarded as a witch regardless of his fae origin, and witch hunts still prevailed today.

I waited fifteen minutes at the end of the long pathway to the road for the bus to pick me up and head towards the town. The sun was slowly but surely making its way down to the horizon with a few hours to spare. I was tiring myself out by the time I reached Abby's house and knocked on the door.

"I hope he wasn't too much trouble today," I said to her when she opened the door with Peter's hand in hers. "Tomorrow we'll be over later. My classes don't start until afternoon, but, ah, they go into the night, so I'll be back after dinner. Should only happen twice a week."

Her curly hair was pinned up into a large bun atop her head and out of her face, but she didn't come off as tired as I expected her to be.

"Won't be a problem at all. Peter was very helpful today; we made some candles and went stone searching in the back to paint." She patted his head and handed back the lunchbox. "You certainly look like you need a nap, so I won't keep you. I hope your first day of school went well!" she said, winking. "See you two tomorrow!"

The walk back to the flat was quiet. Peter kicked a few rocks that fell into our path and rushed into the building as soon as I unlocked the main door. Once we both were in the safety of our home and the door locked, shoes were removed and left by the front and Peter made a call of "dinner?" while shifting through my bag for my computer so he could watch more videos. He made himself comfortable on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket. I blinked heavily and pulled my wand out.

"Esolc sniatruc, spmal no," I mumbled. The quartz gave a dull glow and the lights clicked on around the singular space, and the curtains to the balcony pulled together to block out the dying sunlight. In the kitchen, I stared into the fridge until the pizza bites convinced me to throw them into the microwave. "Small dinner, tonight. Sorry," I said to Peter as I sat beside him with a plate to share. I tucked my arm around him as he stared intently at the laptop screen. We ate and I sat with him until he started nodding off to sleep, leaving the laptop to turn off. I washed his face, and exchanged his trousers for pajama bottoms. Drowsily, he brushed his teeth and crawled up the ladder to the bed. I followed suit, charming the lights off and set the alarm on my phone, leaving it underneath my pillow.


End file.
